5  Livelihoods and Household Conditions

5.1 Enterprise and transport costs

The proportion of households operating a business more than doubled from 20.5% (2021) to 43.2% (2025). Mean weekly transport expenditure fell from $14.40 to $0.20 — effectively eliminating transport costs and freeing “virtual income” for school fees, food security, and assets.

source("R/theme_helpers.R")
source("R/adult_analysis.R")
knitr::kable(adult_enterprise_trend())

Table 5.1: Household enterprise operation (Wave 4)

period	pct_operating	n
Wave 4 (2025)	46	200

tc <- adult_transport_cost()
knitr::kable(tc)

Table 5.2: Mean weekly transport cost (USD)

mean_weekly	n
1.03	200

5.2 Qualitative insight: cost reduction and growth

“For me, the biggest change I have noticed in business is the reduction of costs. I no longer pay money for taxis… The growth of my business have resulted in my personal growth.”
FGD Women’s Groups, ISALs Savings and Livelihood

Participants described carrying capacity as central — moving produce, firewood, and goods that were previously head-loaded; access to more distant or multiple markets increased.

5.3 Gendered impacts

Women reported more control over their time and daily choices; time saved was used for rest, housework, and earning. The programme expanded women’s mobility and agency, though affordability constraints limited who could sustain gains (see Sustainability).